


Moonchild

by StarryEyedEm



Category: Ratchet & Clank
Genre: Gen, hello yes the new bax is my wife i love her so much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:08:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24691282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarryEyedEm/pseuds/StarryEyedEm
Summary: White ears prick at the sound of metallic footsteps, and just like that, she's launched herself up to the rooftops. Nefarious' sentry bots stomp forward, their weapons primed to fire. (To celebrate the announcement of RaC: Rift Apart, I have a short exploration on who this new face might be! I doubt it's anything close to accurate, but she really inspired me!)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	Moonchild

City streets that once filled with noise now lie dormant, the people too terrified to dare step outside their homes. Flickering neon lights reflect off of every surface. The clouds roll by slowly, moonlight seeping through to illuminate the world below.

A lone white lombax stands guard over her city from the rooftops, watching as sentry bots patrol the streets below. Staring into the center tower, the crimson light it gives off mocks her. She scoffs, resuming her own patrol. Things are relatively calm tonight, a welcome change from the previous weeks.

As soon as the thought escapes her, another flash of purplish light sticks out like a sore thumb. The lombax picks up her hammer, rushing toward the rift.

Creatures from another world emerge from the flash of light, surrounding a mother and her child. They inch closer and closer, pushing the helpless citizens into the nearest wall. The woman cradles her child, waiting for the end as she trembles in fear.

A resounding clang reaches the mother's ears, and she opens her eyes. The rebel in front of her has a slim body that reflects in the moonlight, almost like a ghost or guardian spirit. Glancing over to the nearest wall, the woman locks eyes with a wanted poster. The same silhouette on paper meets her gaze here, those same unmistakable ears.

The lombax greets her with a firm, yet concerned demeanor. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes, we're alright. Thank you-"

White ears prick at the sound of metallic footsteps, and just like that, she's launched herself up to the rooftops. Nefarious' sentry bots stomp forward, their weapons primed to fire. " _Return to your homes immediately, Citizens. Curfew is in effect until 6 AM Galactic Standard Time. Resistance will not be tolerated._ "

Without another word, the mother unlocks the door outside their home, turning away from the city to enter her apartment. Once inside, the child is sent to bed, and the woman skims over the news article on the table. Picking up the tablet, she reads the headline.

_The Rebel Strikes Again!_

_Supreme Leader Nefarious' newest factory has been vandalized once again! Sources claim that last week's attack is no coincidence, as this is the third occurrence this month. Nefarious swears vengeance against this character, offering a starting bounty of 150,000 bolts for information on the rebel's whereabouts. Rumors claim that the rebel uses an alias, but their true name remains unknown. So far, the only official information that has been gathered is an appearance and weapon of choice: a white lombax with blue eyes, and a large hammer to match them. Any information on this person must be reported immediately to the nearest guard bot._

A smile spreads across her face as she looks out the window, sending a prayer to the kid that just might save this town. "Good luck, Amaris." A name granted to their savior by the people who follow her.

…

Amaris' feet touch the ground, her target in sight. The deep red light that comes off of the building sharply contrasts with the cooler colors of the city, another indication that such a building should never have been there in the first place. In the distance, the robotic dictator's form hovers in the air, hundreds of feet tall.

Her parents, when they were around, were always quick to hush her when she spoke up against the injustices that ran her home. 'Too dangerous', they called her words. She lets out a sigh. As much as she misses home, it wasn't worth bringing them along to be put in danger. There's not time to look back now, because with her trusty hammer in hand, she's going to end his reign of terror once and for all. Adjusting her scarf to cover her face, Amaris moves toward her objective.

The rebel sticks to the rooftops. Sentry bots don't look up; a lesson learned from when she first donned the name. Days of scoping the building lead to the discovery of an air vent; the perfect point of entry. Putting her weapon in storage, Amaris climbs inside.

Peeking through the grates, blue eyes scan the floors below. The guard numbers are triple that of the last warehouse she took down, and each one is heavily armed. "Just as expected, they're ready for me." The mumbled observations continue in a near whisper as the lombax moves through the air ducts. "That doesn't matter. Tonight, you're going down, Nefarious."

One of the benefits of facing a villain like him is consistency; his ego allows there to be a pattern with the layout of his territories. Once the pattern is found, one almost doesn't need a map to find his base's main computer rooms. Following her gut and memory, Amaris slowly inches her way to the base's core.

The bots outside the door jump to attention as the masked lombax jumps down from the ceiling. " _Rebel detected! Annihilate! Annihilate!_ "

Dodging the laser blasts, Amaris lands the finishing blows on the guards. There's only a few seconds before reinforcements arrive, so she makes quick work of hacking the door. With not a second to spare, the door cracks open. The white lombax bolts inside, and the doors close to block off the incoming fire.

"So far so good." The main computer stands before her, a sea of monitors covering the entire wall. A black rolling chair sits at the center, turned away from the door. Summoning the hammer, Amaris walks toward the main panel. Lifting the weapon to prepare for a swing, she freezes.

"That's what you think, squishy." The chair twirls to face Amaris, and the robotic dictator himself gives a knowing smirk. "I have to say, I'm impressed that you made it this far."

Rage takes hold, and the hammer is sent barrelling towards Nefarious' face. The doctor's jetpack activates, allowing him to float out of the way. "Get back here and fight!"

The villain rushes forward, holding Amaris' hammer with a claw as he looks down at the lombax condescendingly. "You have no idea what you're dealing with, do you?"

"I'm going to save this city, Nefarious! I don't care what it takes, but I _will_ take you down!"

The comment raises Nefarious' eyebrow plate, and this kid's spunk gives him an idea. "In that case..."

The doctor smirks as a guttural scream echoes through the halls, followed by the thud of a dense weapon hitting the ground.

...

Amaris grips her crushed arm, her ears ringing from the blaring siren as she runs through gunfire to retreat. The bullets pierce her skin, but the pain is numbed by adrenaline and fear. Climbing isn't an option, and the base's windows are being blocked off one by one. Running as fast as her legs will allow her to, she manages to beat the system to one of the windows. Throwing her entire body into the glass, she breaks through and plummets to the world outside.

The injured rebel's fall is broken by a dumpster, and she scrambles to the alleyways. By now, the adrenaline is gone, and pain is settling back in. Amaris chokes back tears as she makes her way to her temporary base. Throwing open the door, the one good arm pulls the scarf from her face. Tearing through the room, the space is thoroughly searched. "Where is it?" Every drawer is empty, and panic sets in. "It's gone, _please_ don't tell me it's gone."

Amaris knew better than to set up camp in this part of the city, where looters run rampant. Now, there's no Nanotech, and by this point, it's too late to save her arm. There's not a solid foundation for the nanobots to cling to anyway, but it would have at least dulled the pain.

The kitchen cabinet is checked next: empty, save for a few packets of rations. The bedroom flooring is checked. A rug is kicked to the side, and a panel right beside the ruined, springy mattress is removed. The soft glow of her last secret stock of Nanotech is a grand sight to behold. Amaris slams her fist into the crate, and crushes the orb over her bad arm.

A bit of relief washes over the lombax, and the lack of pain gives a bit of clarity to her mind. Outside the window, she can see the lights from Nefarious' main base. They flash on high alert in the distance, and the sight brings a smile to her face.

"I really got you good this time, huh?" The idea of frazzling the tyrant so thoroughly is satisfying, but the victory is short lived. "But there's no way I can keep going now." The remains of her dominant arm mock her, and Amaris can almost hear a patronizing ' _I got you worse_ ' in her mind.

The vigilante shakes her head. "No. I can't back down now. I've come too far." Standing tall, Amaris opens the door to her closet. Inside lies a pile of metallic scrap, the spoils from the hundreds of robots she's thrashed in the past. "I'll be back, Nefarious. Count on that."

…

Weeks later, Amaris is back in action. _After all_ , she thinks, _if no one stops the creatures from the rifts, who will?_ The moonlight reflects off of the bright new arm, the yellow serving as a nice contrast to her fur. Right on schedule, another portal opens. Moving in close, Amaris fully intends to stop this particular monster before it can cause any real damage or casualties.

The lombax watches from afar, but doesn't see the fanged creatures she expected. Instead, a small robot is spit out of the rift.

"Ratchet...we are too late," it says. The bot seems genuinely heartbroken, a stark contrast from the kind of robot she's used to.

It calls for its companion once more, and Amaris moves in closer to investigate. The impact of her hitting the ground gets the stranger's attention. "Who?"

**Author's Note:**

> Amaris is a name that means 'child of the moon', and it really spoke to me. To me, this mystery woman looks as if she's a walking ray of moonlight. Her color stood out to me before anything else did.


End file.
